John R. Gabourel – copyright 2011-19

Forgiveness In Kathy Griffin’s America

“Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.” Nelson Mandela

One of the greatest challenges all Americans face, both left and right, is forgiving those who would take away those rights we hold dearest, while continuing to fight for those very rights. Today we are clearly a nation divided. Too many Americans focus on revenge for past persecutions, rather than forgiveness and healing. Too many Americans tolerate this kind of vengeful behavior as long as they see it as politically correct.

Society has persecuted same-sex couples for millennia. Only in recent years are we beginning to move past this and enter an era of understanding and acceptance. Globally, the battle for acceptance of same-sex couples has a long way to go. Unfortunately, as this group slowly becomes empowered, able to freely determine their own fates, they are using the current political climate to attack Christians and traditional society. The persecuted have turned into the persecutors, flexing the power government agencies steeped in the new culture of political correctness. Instead of embracing forgiveness and healing, letting go of past wounds, some in the LGBT community are seeking revenge. It only takes a few militants to keep the wound open.

The divide between white and black America, an ugly, festering gash, had been slowly on the mend since the Civil War. Between April 15th, 1865 and April 4th, 1968, countless Americans, mostly black, gave their lives in hopes that men and women would be judged by the content of their character, not the color of their skin. Over the past twenty-five years I have sadly watched as a resentful, vengeful black community actively undermines the hopes of great men and women, from Abraham Lincoln to Martin Luther King to Rosa Parks.

Rodney King was not a black man randomly beat by police for drinking from the wrong water fountain. Rodney King was a criminal thug who resisted arrest, who also happened to be black. The Rodney King scenario has repeated itself over and over again for the last quarter century. When a criminal thug with a record a mile wide, the sort of mug only a mother could love, spends his time on Earth terrorizing his community, who resists arrest and fights with police, finally gets killed, there are two distinct standards of judgement. If the thug is white, Hispanic, or Asian, no one cares about race. Society judges the thug by the content of his rotten character. However, if he is black, he is judged solely by the color of his skin, not his rotten character, and the outrage over his death generates riots.

In the end, there is no difference between a person of color who is passed over for a job or a promotion solely because of the color of their skin, and the white police officer who gets anonymous death threats because he or she has the misfortune of killing a black gang-banger with a gun during an arrest gone wrong. Neither scenario is just. Both people are victims of racism. Both situations further divide and build resentment within the community.

Both Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela preached the power of healing and forgiveness, not revenge and retaliation when you obtain power. Wallowing in resentment and anger stifles everyone’s ability to live. Defend yourself and your rights, but stop seeking revenge. Turn the other cheek. Understand that not everyone has to conform to your way of thinking, your lifestyle, in order for you to be happy.

So where does Kathy Griffin fit in to all of this? She recently sported a bloody, severed, head of the duly elected President of the United States. Not only was it rude, crass and vile, her actions were a distillation of the angry, vengeful resentment that left-wing America has been incubating since they lost the election. This constant negative pressure, insults, mockery, anger, and resentment is not going unnoticed by those Americans who elected Donald Trump and truly want him to be successful for the betterment of America. Hilary Clinton is still campaigning, and President Obama refuses to get off the sideline and retire. None of it is good for America. Just as discriminating against Christians will not further same-sex rights and attacks on police will not solve black crime and discrimination, the flailing resentment by the post-election left will do nothing to heal a divided America. I have already forgiven Kathy Griffin for disrespecting the American presidency. I wish her no ill will. The question now is, can Kathy Griffin let go of her anger towards me because I voted for Donald Trump and want him to succeed?

The Knight and the Serpent

The means by which we succeed defines who we are. In the end, our character is all we can take with us. JRG

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Copyright 2011-19 John R. Gabourel

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A Ration of Chocolate

When Big Brother came for the landowner and took his property away,
I did nothing.
When Big Brother came for the Christians singing carols in the park,
I did nothing.
When Big Brother tried to force pro-life hospitals and healthcare workers to perform abortions,
I did nothing.
When Big Brother created a vast surveillance network that tracked my every move and every word,
I did nothing.
When Big Brother took away my right to bear arms and resist tyranny,
I did nothing.
When Big Brother finally came for me,
I accepted my ration of chocolate and did what I was told, for I would rather live safely in subjugation than risk death as a free man.